Element-al Approach Update & Links Corrected

I'll post some updates on some of my tatting later this weekend, but I wanted to get these corrections up right away. Many thanks to Don who emailed me for permission to view the documents. Had he not alerted me to his difficulty in accessing them, I would not have discovered I had shared the wrong links. I went ahead and updated the documents while I was at it, so the links on my Techniques page should take you right to them.

Crown Progress & Element-al documents updated

The only image I have available to show you today is one of a work in progress. It's Gale Marshall's Queen Mom Memorial Crown. I wanted to do quite a bit of bead substitution, so I decided to tat the crown in parts. It made figuring out the bead placement on shuttle and ball threads a little simpler. This is all I've completed so far on the lower part of the crown. I'm using DMC Cecelia size 30. I had a special request for this crown and I've got 2 weeks to finish it. It isn't the kind of thing I can work on with the baby around, so I'll be working on other projects at the same time.

I finished the tatting of the December 1snowflake (see previous post), but it isn't ready for a photograph.

I've updated the links to the 2 Element-al documents. Be sure to email me or post here at the blog if you have any recommendations for additions or changes to these. You'll find the links on the Techniques page of this blog.

This one doesn't count

I sometimes have to remind myself of the great piece of wisdom I heard a number of times on the old Lace@Arachne.com mailing list. (I know, I'm dating myself as some of you won't have a clue what that was.) "Small imperfections are proof the item is handmade." 

That worked for me with this lovely snowflake (December 1 in Lene Bjorn's 24 Snowflakes in Tatting) when I realized I had added an extra picot to one of the large outer rings. So I pressed it and got it all ready to photograph. I've admired it several times since I finished it late last night. It's a beautiful design. So I'm handling it again, trying to decide whether to post it today or wait until I finish December 2 when I spotted it. Oh, no! I skipped one of the small rings that leans against those large outer rings. Now that's just too much. It's a good thing I really enjoyed tatting this one, because I really must do it over. 

So today's snowflake doesn't count toward any of the challenges. It's a sample of what happens to all of us now and then. Proof to my future tatting students that I really do make my share of mistakes. ;) 

4 motifs to start the 25 Motif Challenge

I seem to be in the mood for challenges lately. I've been battling severe asthma for over a month and now have bronchitis. Sitting and tatting is one of the few things I really feel like doing. It is restful and productive at the same time--a wonderful combination.

Sharon's 25 Motif Challenge is one of my favorite blogs to follow. It helps me find the blogs and webpages of other tatters. Of course, I want to follow all of you! It has been years since I participated  in the challenge myself, but this seemed like a great year to jump back in.

My first 3 motifs for the 25 Motif Challenge are also my first 3 motifs in the Craftree challenge to tat all of the snowflakes in Lene Bjorn's 24 Snowflakes in Tatting this year. I'm using white DMC Cecelia size 30. These are December 3, 4, and 5. Since the challenge started at the first of the year, most of the participants are working on December 5 or December 6. I decided to start with the #5 snowflake as that is the one I'd have been working on in the first half of March if I was on target. Then I started working backward to catch up as I have time. I'll get December 1 and 2 done as I get time, but I'll keep moving forward through the rest of the book on schedule. At least, that's the plan.

Lastly, I want to share another Ice Cream Cone as an example of working a mistake into the design. When I went to join the third ring of the outer round to the center square, I joined to the wrong picot. Rather than take out that ring, I just increased the number of rings and chains and made sure the 2nd side mirrored the first. Most likely only another tatter would notice that it differs from the original design. The pink thread is a Manuela size 20 I had on hand and the cone is more of the Altin Basak size 50.

5 Tatted Ice Cream Cones

This is a pattern that I enjoy tatting. I load the ice cream thread with 14 to 16 beads for the square, placing 8 of those on the shuttle. I load 16 to 20 for the outer round with 8 of those again on the shuttle. I then place them randomly as I tat. I used size 20 thread for the ice cream--DMC Cecelia white and brown, Manuela pink. The cones were tatted with some Altin Basak size 50 that I had on hand. In spite of the size 50 on the label, I find this thread to be somewhere between DMC Cecelia size 20 and 30 in size.

Oops! Can't salvage this one.

When I use the Magic Thread trick to hide ends, I usually wait until I've joined at least one more round before I snip the ends. This time I slipped into production mode to make several Valeire Square Ice Cream Cones and didn't give it a thought as I did the finishing of all of the first rounds before starting the second ones. You guessed it. On number 5, the ends came loose as I was working round 2. My nimble-fingered daughter tried to salvage it by making a knot with those tiny ends, but instead we managed to pull another double stitch off. Maybe this will help me remember in future to wait until the project is finished, or at least until another round or two has been added, before I snip those ends.

Dorothy Edging - more Christmas 2015 projects

While I'm working on the Benporath mystery project, I'll share some more of my Christmas 2015 tatting.

I have lots of patterns and patterns in books, but sometimes you get an idea in your head and just can't find anything that fits just right. That's the story behind this edging. I wanted something dainty and open, sort of a stained glass window look. So I finally picked up shuttle and thread and started tatting. It fell into place perfectly. The thread is size 30 Cecelia.

Attaching my tatting to anything with needle and thread is a real challenge for me and causes hours, in this case days, of pain afterward, so please don't judge my sewing too harshly. I'm just thankful I managed to get it attached at all.

I call the pattern Dorothy in honor of my mother for whom I designed it. I'll try to work up a pdf of the pattern for you in the months to come, but I'm committed at the moment to another project for my granddaughter with only a few weeks to get it finished. Meanwhile, enjoy the pic.

Mystery Tat Along - Norma Benporath Round Doily

I've got to purchase some beads before I can start the project with the next deadline, so I'm reluctant to return to my big project for myself. I just can't get excited about starting it just to put it back down again for a more urgent project.

Looking for something to occupy me in the meantime, I stumbled across the second Benporath Mystery Tat Along in Craftree and decided to jump right in. The pattern is at http://www.craftree.com/patterns/5557

I finished the medallion that goes in the center of the fabric circle. Now to start the edging that is supposed to mount to the outside of a fabric circle. I'm working with Finca size 16 perle cotton. It has been ages since I've worked a project with it. It didn't take many double stitches to remind me why it's one of my favorite threads. (And, yes, that's a dab of Fray Check on the join. I was feeling lazy and tatting for myself. I confess I find it a wonderfully useful shortcut now and then.)

Additions & Updates to MyPatterns and More December 2015 tatted presents;

I've updated the links and added a few patterns to My Patterns. The newly posted ones are patterns I've shared in the past, many of them ages ago. Be warned! I have not updated the instructions. They reflect what I knew how to tat and what I knew about sharing my patterns at the time.

Here is a picture of some red ornaments I made for my niece using size 30 Cecelia thread. I apologize this isn't the best picture of the tatting, but as usual I was scrambling to get everything pressed, stiffened, and wrapped up at the last minute.

All three patterns are by Pam Palmer. 

*Santa's Sleigh is on page 8 of Tatting Treats (1994).

*Rocking Horse is on page 4 of Tatting Treats Two (1997).

*Teddy Bear is on page 10 of Tatting Treats Two (1997).

Element-al Approach to Designing

I've finally made some progress on a project I've wanted to do for ages. It's a resource for those of us who want to design tatting. If you think about it, tatting is made up of ring shapes (usually a ring), curves (usually chains), and straight lines (traditionally the bare thread). So with those basic elements in mind, what can we substitute or modify to get a new look? Georgia Seitz is going to share my handouts in the online classes tomorrow. I invite you to visit the links she has provided at http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2016/2016index.html and even attend one of the class sessions if you can. I value your input, so email me or post here if you think of something that should be added. It is a resource I want to make freely available to all, possibly even in a format that you can modify to reflect your personal preferences. One handout contains ideas for modification or substitution. The other includes links to techniques and patterns for practice or example. In some cases, there are lots of sources for the technique, and my document can't reasonably include them all. For that reason, I'm thinking it might be good to make it customizable. I'm still thinking. Remember it's a work in progress.

An Element-al Approach to Tatting Design*

*Please note that I've changed this link to take you to my Techniques page. I will keep the links on that page of my blog connected to the latest version of these handouts. The pdfs will eventually be replaced with Word documents that you can customize for your own use.

December 2015 Tatted Presents

Wow! Where does the time go? The older I get the faster it seems to move.

I hope you'll think better late than never as I update you with what I've been working on in the months since my last post.

*I designed the two button bookmarks, but they are a simple combination of rings and chains.
*This cross by Jackie Fiuntini of New South Wales is a favorite go-to piece for me. It was published on page 3 of Tatter Tales, Volume 3, Issue 3.
*The little fairy with the wings is adapted from a combination of the features I liked best in Teri Dusenbury's Pincess Bijou Fairy and her Princess Dorie Fairy. Both original patterns were printed in her Tattle Tales newsletters. Princess Dorie is available online along with a few of her other Papillon Princesses at http://teridusenburystattletales.blogspot.com/2014/09/tatting-bookmarks-papillon-princess.html, but I don't see Bijou among them.
*The Bird of Paradise Bookmark is from page 29 of Dianna Stevens' Animal Bookmarks, A Tatted Zoo (2004).
*The hanky edging is Eternity Rings by Mary Konior. You'll find it on page 26 or Tatting with Visual Patterns (1992).

I designed an edging for another hanky when I couldn't find a pattern that seemed just right. You'll see it a bit later along with a picture of the fairy tale tatting finally up for display in my granddaughter's bedroom. It took us forever to find the ivory velvet I wanted for the backing.

Happy tatting!

Norma Benporath Mystery Edging

The tatting is done, but I haven't pressed it yet. The outer round has a ruffled effect at the moment which I think is quite attractive. It has been lots of fun to tat.

Sharon is teaching design classes through her blog

I took Sharon's design classes quite some time back. She did a great job and now she is teaching through her blog with a new lesson every few weeks. So, whether you already love designing or have never even imagined that you could, I encourage you to drop by Sharon's blog to check this out.

Benporath Mystery Edging update

Hello, everyone. I've completed the tatting of round 2 so that the foundation round of squares now has a completed round on either side. Norma's instructions have you tatting this outer round with ball and shuttle, but it is obvious that some of the rings must swing out for joining to the next and final round. I chose to tat with ball and shuttle just leaving these rings free and then folding them up and out because I felt the resulting sharp v-shape of the chains might have been what Norma had in mind. If I had chosen to tat with 2 shuttles and make these outward facing rings with the 2nd shuttle, the chains would have had the more traditional curved shape. That just isn't what I hoped to achieve.

This would be a lovely place to stop. Several of my family members thought it was finished. It will be interesting to see what effect the final round will have upon the overall appearance. The last round should produce a scalloped look and I plan to work it in the variegated thread I used for the foundation round of squares.

Update on the Benporath Edging

It has been hard to find time to tat, but I have really enjoyed working on this edging. I've finished the inner round (Round 1). Norma's instructions have you making two consecutive joins to connect to the corner picots between two motifs. I chose to interpret this by completing the 2nd half of the DS after the first join before making the 2nd join and I really like the effect (see the closeup). This actually results in a ring with one more double stitch than the other rings on either side of it.

I've done a practice tat of the next round (Round 2) and have just begun to tat onto the foundation round.

Benporath Mystery Edging

It's been a distracting week and I find comfort in relaxing with an audible book and my tatting this evening. I'm reluctant to log in to Craftree as I really want to work this pattern out for myself without seeing what the others have done, and I'm sure someone else has finished it by now. As you can see, I've just now completed the first round. I look forward to figuring out the next round this evening. It has been a real pleasure to work with DMC size 80 tatting thread. This piece hasn't been blocked as I am away from home.

Tatting Benporath Mystery Tat-a-long

Hi, everyone. I'm having problems finding cream-colored velvet for the framed tatting I've completed for Butter Bean. I had hoped to share the finished images with you, so that must wait a little longer.

Thanks for the help to get back into Craftree (InTatters). I was trying to figure out what to do next and dropped in just in time to start the Mystery Tatalong of one of Norma Benporath's edgings. The only image available is so poor that none of us can make out any details at all. I tatted one of the foundation squares and started building the foundation round. This pattern is unique from all others I've ever tatted in that the next round will be worked to the inside of the square formed by the foundation round. I look forward to seeing how it will turn out. I'm working in a colorful size 80 thread as I was ready for a change from all of that solid pink size 30.

Nothing has been blocked or pressed. These are in-progress scans.

Tatting Chat communities

I just discovered that InTatters is no longer on CraftTree. I couldn't find it with a search. Are there any tatting chat communities?

Still Tatting

Hi, everyone. I'm sorry my posts are so far apart. I'm still working on the tatting to be framed for Butter Bean's room. You saw "The Princess and the Pea" and "Thumbelina," and I've finished the tatting of Pegasus and almost finished the unicorn. Neither of these has been blocked yet so you would not recognize the tatting blob should I take a picture of them. However, I thought you might enjoy seeing Butter Bean (her daddy's nickname for her) modeling a tatted bonnet I made many years ago. It is still a little large, but she'll catch up.

New Grandbaby

One of my babies had a baby of her own. Three weeks early, she still weighed 7 lb. 5 oz. and measured 19.5 inches long. She was 2 days old in this picture. My joy overflows. But my tatting wan't finished and I've been too distracted since her arrival to form a single knot!